‘End of the road’ for Hitachi’s Anglesey nuclear plant says MS with call for green investment

Anglesey’s Senedd member has called for investment in green energy projects after the developers behind the island’s Wylfa Newydd nuclear plant withdrew their planning application for the £16bn project.

Rhun ap Iorwerth, Member of the Senedd for Ynys Môn said it was the “end of the road for the project” that the UK Government had “ultimately failed to deliver”.

The island’s MP, Virginia Crosbie, however, said that there was still some hope that the project could go ahead with a different developer.

Hitachi today informed the Planning Inspectorate that it was formally withdrawing its Development Consent Order (DCO) bid.

But the company added it was “too important to the net zero agenda and the economic future of Anglesey and north Wales for that progress to be wasted”.

‘Focus’

Responding to the news, Senedd Member Rhun ap Iorwerth said that the island had “to concentrate in the immediate future on growing other employment opportunities – new projects and those already in the pipeline”.

“Many are in the energy sector – offshore tidal, wave and wind, creating green jobs, developing new technologies that can be exported to the world, and bringing investment to the port of Holyhead.

“I know Wylfa divided opinion in many ways, and I’ve always respected the different views held. Today’s announcement will be welcomed by some, but it is a real blow to others, many of whom I know well, who had hoped for speedy progress on the Wylfa plan for the opportunities it represented.

“Now we must all focus on all those new and existing opportunities that can and will give hope to them and generations to come here on Ynys Môn.”

The island’s MP, however, said that the UK Government was still commited to establishing such a site on the island.

“This is by no means the end of our island’s ambition to have a new nuclear power station on this site, which is a world-class place to install this energy,” said Virginia Crosbie.

“The UK government remains completely committed to nuclear power at Wylfa Newydd as am I. However, the fact is work could not continue without a developer.”

“We have experienced a setback and I share the disappointment of the Anglesey community who have been so supportive of the project and who very much wanted to see the jobs and investment on our island.

“My job now is to help find new developers with new ambitions to invest in this site using the latest nuclear technology.

“Wylfa Newydd is here ready and waiting for someone to take it forward. It will support the government’s 2050 net zero carbon goal, its levelling up agenda and it will stimulate the UK’s nuclear supply chain.

“Most importantly, the support of the community is fantastic, the government support is steadfast and I will do everything I can to ensure it becomes a reality. We go again.”